Prabowo taps Widodo's allies as advisers amid falling approval rating
- President Prabowo packs advisory council with 26 political heavyweights, ex-rivals, and religious leaders to stifle dissent.
- Approval ratings have cratered from 81 percent to just 51 percent in less than a year.
- The council is officially toothless, tasked with 'shaping public perception' rather than setting actual policy.
- Prabowo faces a delicate balancing act to sideline allies of former leader Joko Widodo without sparking an all-out political war.
Brief Summary
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto is scrambling to shore up his crumbling political mandate by corralling potential rivals into a newly minted presidential advisory council. With his approval ratings in a freefall and public sentiment souring, the president is effectively buying insurance by keeping influential figures—including allies of his predecessor, Joko Widodo—under his direct supervision. The council, while lacking any formal power to dictate policy, is clearly designed to act as a buffer against opposition and a mechanism to control the national narrative.
Why This Matters
This matters because it highlights the fragility of power in a major G20 nation that serves as a critical gateway for regional stability and trade. When a leader begins appointing 'advisory' bodies to explicitly manage public perception and neutralize political threats, it signals a shift away from transparent governance toward defensive, personality-driven politics. You should pay attention because instability in Jakarta ripples through global supply chains and regional security agreements, potentially affecting everything from commodity prices to the broader geopolitical chess game in the Indo-Pacific.